8. Elisabeth SchwarzkopfRichard Strauss: Four Last Songs

This was also music that I came upon later. I was really drawn, first of all, to anything called “Four Last Songs”. Even though these weren’t the last pieces of music that Richard Strauss wrote, I really think they are some of the most beautiful songs ever written. I have a number of different performances by different singers but the one that really stands out to me is the Elisabeth Schwarzkopf performance [with the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1953]. She recorded this twice as well, and there’s a quality to her voice on the first one… she’s not as polished as a lot of the other performers, but there’s something about the way she communicates these songs that’s so beautiful and so human. As for Richard Strauss, I’m always jealous of somebody who can write songs like this, because they are songs. It’s just that they’re in an area that requires a great deal of sophistication.